A Misunderstanding of Monsters and Doctors
by LogicIsBoring44
Summary: There's a monster in Dean's closet. He knows there is despite his dad saying there is no such thing. One night Dean vows to catch the monster and show his dad it's real. It's not a monster Dean catches but an alien with a blue box that's bigger on the inside.


**A story that popped into my head when I got stuck writing my other works. I seem to like SuperWho and Dean & the Doctor fics. Cas popped up too. I had to. ;)**

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There's a funny wheezing noise coming from his closet every night, but every time he asks his dad to look for monsters; there's nothing there. Dean knows it only shows up at night when it's just him in the room.

Tonight though, Dean has a plan to get proof of the monster in his closet. He'll prove to his dad that he's not a baby and that there is a monster in his room; he won't go to bed tonight. He has a mission. That's what his dad calls things he has to do. Dean's mission is gathering proof of the sneaky, wheezing monster that hides from adults and only comes out at night.

Dean's plan so far is to throw a net over it. He has to be quick though. What if it disappears when tries to throw the net over it? His dad says the best way to catch something is to catch it off-guard. That means surprising it.

He had dismantled the nets to his lacrosse sticks and goal posts and weaved them together to form one big monster catching net. It should be big enough to catch whatever's hiding in his closet.

At least Dean hopes it is. He never saw it either but there is flashing lights that comes with the wheezing noise, and there is a muffled thump and his room shakes. It always scares him when that happens. He's afraid that the next time that happens, his room will fall apart like in that earthquake movie his mom and dad watched. The whole city caved in from the ground shaking. The whole city! There is no way his room could hold up against a potential earth shaker.

Dean just had to catch and stop that monster tonight, and not just because his dad called him a baby for being scared of shadows in his closet. He's going to catch it so it won't break their house and hurt Sammy.

His mom and dad say that it's his job to take care of Sammy. That's what he's doing, protecting Sam.

Dean made sure to hide the net under his bed so mom and dad didn't take it away, and so dad won't get mad that he ruined his lacrosse gear. He won't be mad if Dean shows him proof of the monster. Dad will be proud. He will have protected the house and all of them from certain death. He'll be a hero!

Grinning to himself, Dean got ready for bed. He used the toilet, washed his hands and brushed his teeth before hopping into bed with a bounce. He told his mom that he doesn't want a bedtime story tonight.

His mom gave him a funny look. She looked almost sad at him not wanting a bedtime story. He didn't know why though. Isn't that what he's supposed to do?

When he's a big boy, his dad said it would be time to move on from baby things like bedtime stories and playing with imaginary friends. That's what he's doing. He's moving on from being a baby like Sammy. His mom should be proud of him instead of sad and making him guilty for acting like a big boy.

Dean even shut off his Batman night light. His mom gave him another sad look.

He bit his lip as his mom asked him once again whether or not he's sure he wants his night light off. Dean nodded his head stubbornly. He's a big boy. Big boys don't need night lights, and even said so.

His mom closed the door with a sigh he couldn't figure out. What his wrong with his mom? She's acting like he's disappointing her or something. He'll worry about it later. Dean slid on his shoes just in case he needed to fight, and kicking someone with shoes is better than barefeet.

She'll see. Dean's not doing this to hurt her, he's doing this to prove he can protect Sammy and that he doesn't need her babying him all the time like dad complains about her doing. They always argue when he says that. Dean doesn't know why. His dad's right. He shouldn't be babied all the time anymore. He's seven years old, he's not a baby.

Dean waited in the darkness of his room for the wheezing monster to show up. He didn't know how much time has passed but it was late enough for his dad to go to sleep.

He yawned for the umpteenth time. He wished the monster would show up already. He's tired and wants to go to sleep. Dean really wished he could read the clock but he could never remember which of the stick thingies was which. That, and he didn't have a clock in his room anyway. He's going to learn to tell time after this, Dean vows silently.

When the two stick thingies both point towards the top from the clock in the hallway (he had to open the door to look at it before closing it again so the monster won't know he's awake), Dean knows it's super late, and that if the monster hasn't come yet then it's not coming.

Mad, Dean throws his pillow towards his closet doors. Not even a second after throwing his pillow, a wheezing noise erupts from his closet. Lights soon follow the noise and wind picks up, pushing against the door, and it takes everything in Dean not to scream for his dad to come save him from the wheezing monster.

Taking a deep breath, Dean reached under his bed for the net, and eased out of bed. He tip-toed towards the closet, his hands shaking violently, his stomach felt funny like he was going to throw up, but he pushed on. He's doing this for Sammy, for mommy, and for dad. The wheezing monster won't get them. He won't let it.

The wind coming from the closet stopped when the thud happened. Dean let out a terrified squeak when that happened.

He can do this. Dad calls him his little soldier. Soldiers don't get scared from monsters, they take on the monsters and kick their butts. Dean's not going to be afraid anymore. He's going to kick this monster's butt!

With a sudden surge of courage, Dean threw up open the doors and flung his net into the closet. He heard a thump and a curse.

Monsters cuss?

Dean grabbed the other door and pulled it open to see that he didn't catch a monster after all but a man, and weirdly enough, a blue box inside his closet. A blue box that had words on it, one of them looked like the word 'police' but that was wrong, right? There are no police boxes, or his dad would have told him.

Dean took a step back when the man surged forward trying to get the net off. He watched the man flail around a bit before he managed to get the net off. He threw it with a huff and a glare that had Dean stifling a giggle at how confused the man looked.

The man wore a black leather coat like his teacher Mr. Barnes' and he had a shaved head like Curly from the Three Stooges.

The man didn't seem to notice him, which was a good thing, Dean decided.

Dean quickly hid behind his closet door and watched the man through the shutters as he looked around Dean's room in curiosity, seemingly unconcerned he had a net thrown over him by someone unseen. Dean was grateful for him not being bothered by that. He's seen adults get angry, and the man looks like he'd be scary if he got really mad.

He watched the man scratch his head as if it was itchy but his was frowning like Mr. Barnes does when he's thinking real hard about something. So maybe he's scratching his head to make his brain think more.

What does he know? He's seven! Most of the stuff he does doesn't require much thought. He just acts on whatever pops into his head.

His friend Cas frowns a lot like Mr. Barnes, but that's because he's cautious and Dean is not. But Cas always does what Dean does so maybe that's Cas's 'I don't like what your thinking but I'll do it too' frown. Or maybe Cas just frowns a lot. If so, then Dean vows to make Cas smile a lot more. Dean likes Cas's smile.

He'll do it later though. Right now he has a bald man with big ears standing in his room still scratching his head and frowning.

Dean summoned his earlier courage and moved from behind the door and marched up behind the man to shove him as hard as he could.

The man flailed a bit before falling onto Dean's bed with a grunt and a bounce. Dean brought his fists up like his dad taught him just in case the man tried to hit him for pushing him. He had to be ready for anything and his dad taught him how to defend himself against bullies and bigger people. Dean thinks this quali ... quail ... Dean thinks this means what his dad meant.

The man is bigger than Dean by a lot. Dean could take him. His dad is a Marine and he taught Dean everything he knows.

The man flipped over so he was on his back and could look at his attacker. Dean bit his lip to keep from laughing when he saw the man's eyes widen in surprise and his mouth drop open in shock.

 _Yeah, that's right. A 7 year-old took you out, buddy,_ Dean thought with a grin.

"Well, hello," the man said, not moving from Dean's bed. He merely made himself comfortable and kept eye contact with Dean as he spoke. "Who are you? Actually, where am I?"

Dean frowned at him. Is he crazy or dumb? How does he not know where he is?

"I'm Dean. Who are you?" Dean asked.

"I'm called the Doctor. Nice to meet you, Dean," the man - Doctor - replied back with a grin and a little wave.

Dean didn't say anything back. He's not supposed to talk to strangers. He already broke that rule when he said his name. His dad will get mad if he finds out about that. To make up for it, Dean kept his fists raised and ready to attack if the man moves.

The Doctor stared at him, raising an eyebrow when Dean stayed silent.

Their impasse lasted long enough for Dean to start yawning and blinking a lot as he adrenaline gave out. He's so tired. He's never stayed up this late before, and he's got school in the morning. Maybe this is what Cas means when he says there has to be a better way and they should think things through before acting. Maybe Dean should have waited until the weekend before trying to catch the Doctor and his wheezing monster.

Cas is going to be so smug when Dean tells him why he's so tired in school tomorrow.

"Who's Cas?" the Doctor asked, startling Dean.

Dean jerked back, scared that he'll go after Cas too. It also made him mad that this Doctor guy would go after his best friend because Dean caught him and pushed him. Nobody hurts Cas. Not on Dean's watch. Cas is his best friend. They watch each other's backs like how his dad's military friends did.

"How do you know Cas?" Dean demanded angrily. He stepped closer to the bed, fully intending to beat the Doctor up for saying Cas's name.

The Doctor held up his hands and actually moved back from Dean.

"You said his or her name. It was the only thing I made out actually," the Doctor explained, now watching Dean warily. Good. He should be afraid of Dean.

"He's a boy and he's my best friend, and if you try to hurt or scare him, I'll hurt you first," Dean told him, raising his fists in emphasis.

The Doctor actually look intimidated by him. It made Dean preen and puff up like a bird.

"Okay, no talking about Cas or scaring him. Gotcha."

"You better not."

"I won't. I promise," the Doctor said earnestly. "Of course American children are just as scary as their parents," the Doctor mumbled to himself. In a louder voice he asked, "What state am I in?"

Dean frowned at him in confusion. "Kansas, duh." How dumb is this guy? How's he a doctor?

"Oh," the Doctor replied. He furrowed his brow as he tried to work out why he kept coming here. The TARDIS would act up if he tried to fly somewhere else. So why is she bringing him here, in this time? Is it Dean? Is something bothering Dean?

"Dean, have you noticed anything different? Anything unusual that didn't make sense or even scared you?" the Doctor questioned the brave and, somewhat, intimidating boy. "It's okay if it sounds stupid or weird."

Dean frowned again. "You."

"Me," the Doctor repeated in surprise. "Have you seen me before? Like around town or when you were younger?"

"No," Dean shook his head. "You would come and scare me in the closet. You and your wheezing monster," Dean said accusingly.

"Me and my...oh, the TARDIS! I guess she would sound like a monster to a kid. Sorry about that," the Doctor apologized sincerely, and Dean believed him.

Dean shrugged a little self-consciously. "It's okay. What's a 'TARDIS'?"

"It's the name of my spaceship," the Doctor explained happily, especially now since Dean let his hands drop down to his sides. He must have decided not to beat him up. Good. That'd be embarrassing getting beat up by a little kid. Thankfully no one around would know about it. No one.

Dean saw sadness cloud the Doctor's face and he felt the urge to make the sadness go away, like when Cas thought of his mom. He always got this look on his face that made Dean want to hug Cas until all those sad thoughts and feelings went away. He even kissed Cas on the cheek sometimes like his mom does when she wants him to feel better. It must work because Cas always smiles after Dean kisses him. All sad thoughts gone from his mind.

Maybe he should kiss Cas more often. It makes him happy and Dean doesn't mind kissing his best friend.

What if the Doctor needs someone like Dean to make the sadness go away? Maybe he needs Dean because he heard of how he takes care of Cas and his sadness. The guy has a spaceship. Anything's possible...right? He doesn't know, but what he does know, he's not kissing the Doctor. That's for Cas only!

What should he do then?

A hug? But he's a stranger.

Well, it's not like Dean hasn't already broken rules before. Besides, the Doctor doesn't make him feel afraid or nervous. His dad told him to trust his instincts and they're saying the Doctor won't hurt him.

Decision made, Dean walked to the side of his bed and gave the Doctor a brief, "manly" hug that his dad says guys are supposed to give each other.

Dean hasn't told Cas that. Cas likes to give long hugs and bury his nose into Dean's neck. Dean likes it when Cas does that. It makes him feel special that Cas allows himself to let Dean comfort him when he's feeling bad, and he's only ever hugged Dean like that. Not even his dad or brothers.

The Doctor went rigid in Dean's arms and before he got to react, Dean let him go and took a respectful step back. He stared at him for a minute, as if checking something in his expression. What ever it was, it must have been gone because Dean nodded to himself and looked pleased.

He has to ask though. "Why did you hug me?"

"Because you were sad," Dean replied. The "duh" this time fully and whole-heartedly implied.

It made the Doctor smile. "Well, thank you, Dean. I do feel better. How did you know I was sad?"

"You look like Cas does when he's sad." Dean shrugged. "Whenever I hug Cas, he's not sad anymore. Sometimes I kiss him and he smiles. I wasn't going to kiss you but you looked like you needed a hug," Dean replied, adding the last part because it's what his mom says all the time whenever Dean's feeling "blue". Whatever that means. He's not actually blue. Dean's looked.

Sometimes adults say the weirdest things.

"Can I go inside your spaceship?" Dean asked abruptly. He really wanted to go inside and see what an actual spaceship looks like. His dad promised to take him to the Air & Space Museum at the Smith...Smithso...that big museum where the President lives when he's bigger, but that's not for a long time. And Dean has access to one now for free! He won't have to travel a long ways to see one and leave Cas behind for days while he's at that Smithso place.

This is so much better. He'll get to see a ship and then he won't have to leave Cas. It's a win-win. That's what his dad calls something where everyone gets what they want and no one is sad. Especially Cas.

The Doctor smiled at him and said sure. Dean let out a happy shriek and gave the Doctor another hug.

Dean waited somewhat impatiently for the Doctor to get up off Dean's bed so he could show Dean the spaceship. He's so happy and excited, Dean feels like the time him and Cas went swimming at Doro Lake and they swung off that old rope hanging from a really big tree. Cas called it an oak tree, a really old one. So its really big and really old.

The Doctor held out his hand for Dean to take. Dean balked a bit before grabbing the man's hand, he's too big to be holding hands...outside of Cas and Sammy, but he did anyway because he didn't want to make the Doctor mad and not let him see the spaceship.

Seeing a real spaceship is more important than trying to act like a big boy.

The Doctor pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked the blue spaceship door, when it clicked, the Doctor shot Dean a smile before pushing the door open. Dean felt his jaw drop at the sight that greeted him once the Doctor ushered him inside. Cas is so going to be jealous of him when Dean tells him what the inside of a spaceship looks like. Well, if Cas believes him. But it's Cas and they don't lie to each other. Not ever.

Dean gripped the Doctor's hand tighter as he eagerly took in the sight of an actual, real live spaceship. It looked funny. A cool funny. A wicked cool funny.

It looked like a Dr. Seuss book but with a kooky looking thing in the middle of the room. It was most definitely not Dr. Suessian. It looked like something cobbled together from a junkyard, and not a very good one either. Dean knows because his Uncle Bobby has one in North Dakota.

He kept a hold of the Doctor's hand as he explored the weird yet fantastic room with unrestrained glee and curiosity, and though he didn't ask any of the millions of billions of questions bubbling inside of him, Dean drank in everything in his sight like a man dying of thirst. His mind whirled as the possibilities of what he's seeing started to sink in.

Travel among the stars like Buck Rogers and protecting the Universe from bad guys. His and Cas's dream of being astronauts is within their reach. That'll for sure keep Cas from being sad forever.

The Doctor tightened his grip on Dean's hand and pulled him towards the kooky thing that had a circular panel around it that Dean assumed controlled the ship. Dean felt his fingers itch to touch all the buttons and levers. His curiosity burned as he reached forward to touch a computer looking screen and gently tapped a button on the screen.

He shot the Doctor a quick grin after he did, the Doctor grinned back and pointed at a lever for Dean to pull. Dean beamed at him and used both hands to pull the lever back. The ship bucked and shuddered as the Doctor shot around the console pulling other levers and pushing buttons with practiced ease.

Dean heard the now familiar wheezing noise emanate from the ship. He was no longer afraid of the noise, especially now that he knows what's causing the sound.

The ship bounced Dean and the Doctor around and just before it came to a stop, the Doctor shot forward and pulled Dean up into his arms and held him as the ship came to an abrupt stop, sending the Doctor forward into the console. He took the brunt of it by turning his hip so the side Dean was on was kept away from the console.

The Doctor let out a pained grunt when his hip connected with the console. He let Dean down to the floor and made sure Dean was okay before checking on himself.

"What happened?" Dean asked. "Where did we go? Are we in space?"

The Doctor rubbed his hip to chase the pain away. "Open the door and find out," the Doctor said with a grin.

Dean shot him an excited look before running full tilt toward the door and threw it open will all the strength he could muster. Dean felt his mouth drop open in shock once more at the sight that greeted him on the other side of the door.

Stars twinkled at him. He saw planets and suns dotting the horizon as far as Dean could see. Asteroids floated past him, close enough to touch, which Dean did, snagging one the size of a baseball. It was cold, cold enough burn but Dean didn't put it down. He cradled it against his chest with the biggest smile on his face.

He wanted stardust for Cas. He wondered if the Doctor could help him get some.

Dean asked and the Doctor grinned and said of course. The Doctor disappeared up the stairs but came back down with two small vials in his hand. He threaded cords around them so they could hang like a necklace and told Dean to close and hang onto the doors so he won't fall as he piloted the ship towards the nearest star system.

The Doctor reached under the console and grabbed two goggles out. He handed one to Dean when he walked over towards the doors. He waited until Dean put on his goggles, adjusted them so they fit, and nodded for Dean to open the doors to an intense bright light.

Dean flung his arms up to block the light on instinct, a hand to his shoulder had Dean slowly lowering his arms; squinting his eyes against the brightness, Dean watched the Doctor reach his hand out with one of the vials and did a scooping motion before bringing it back inside to cap it off. He did the same thing with the other vial. He reached into his pocket and produced a blue liquid substance in a bottle and carefully poured it over the tops of the vials. He waited a couple of minutes before turning the vials over to test to see if the seal solidified and held.

The Doctor then hit the vials on the outside of the TARDIS to see if they would break or crack. Nothing happened. Grinning the Doctor started to give Dean the vials then he quickly pulled them back and sprayed the two vials with a protective polymer as a safeguard.

Dean watched him with curiosity but didn't question as the Doctor conducted the safety of the vials. Dean's watched his dad do this many times whenever Uncle Bobby gave him a toy he made from the scraps at the junkyard. His dad told him he's just making sure they're safe so Dean doesn't get hurt. Uncle Bobby always gets mad when his dad does that.

They then would argue over whether or not Uncle Bobby actually knows what is and what isn't a safe toy for Dean to play with while Dean played with said toy. Uncle Bobby also brought toys for Sam too but he bought them instead of making them. Dad checked those as well just to make Uncle Bobby mad.

Dean asked Uncle Bobby once why he made Dean's toys but bought Sam's. Uncle Bobby said that's because he likes Dean more because Dean isn't afraid of him nor is he afraid of Rumsfield, Uncle Bobby's rottweiler. He looks mean but Dean likes him anyway. He's fun to play with.

He didn't know how to react to Uncle Bobby's admission that he's his favorite. Uncle Bobby quickly assured him that he loves Sam just as much.

Dean demanded a better explanation because a part of him is super mad that Sam isn't Uncle Bobby's favorite too but another part is secretly pleased with the information. He's someone's favorite outside of Cas!

Uncle Bobby explained that Dean's older and knows how to hold a conversation and doesn't cry when Uncle Bobby is feeling grumpy and acts a little mean. He also likes that Dean likes to build things too and listens to him when he's trying to teach Dean about car parts and stuff. He also said that he knows that Dean would take good care of the toys he made for him.

Mollified, Dean let the subject drop and soon forgot about it.

Dean didn't know why that popped into his head now while he watched the Doctor perform his safety checks.

The Doctor deemed the vials suitably protected and handed them to Dean. Dean held them in his hands like they infinitely precious and fragile. The stardust glowed brightly within the vials before dimming down to a less blinding level.

He watched the stardust swirl and dance within the vials, they seemed almost seemed alive and like they were waving at him. That's impossible right? It's stardust, not living things.

There's a word for that. Cas said it once. Sent - sental - sentence. No. Sentiate? Nope. That doesn't sound right. Sentient? Is that it? It sounds familiar. That might be it. He'll ask Cas when he's back home.

"Thank you," Dean whispered, still entranced with the possibly 'sentient' stardust.

"Of course, Dean," the Doctor responded with a sad smile on his face. He watched as Dean carefully put the vials on for safekeeping. He really should get back to Rose but at the same time he wanted to spend more time with Dean.

"Would you like to see an alien planet?" the Doctor asked.

Dean lit up like a newly born star. "Yes!" he shrieked in excitement. He bounced around on the balls of his feet as he stared up at the Doctor like he was greatest thing he's ever seen. It made the Doctor's throat close up at having someone so innocent look at him like that. It reminded him of his own family before he killed them and everyone else on Gallifrey.

Dean's smile dimmed when he saw that sad look appear on the Doctor's face again. He surged forward and hugged him again. It worked last time.

"Don't be sad," Dean told him, hugging tighter as he looked up at the Doctor. "I'm here."

The Doctor summoned up as real a smile as he could for the boy. It must have been good enough, Dean let him go and went back to staring at the stardust hanging around his neck. Thank the gods. As soon as Dean looked away the smile fell away and he gave the boy a brief hug back before turned his attention to the TARDIS control console.

He needed to find a place safe enough for Dean to explore, preferably with some harmless locals who are sociable and won't be looking for a way to enslave Dean. A human child is highly desirable, especially a purebred human boy in this corner of the galaxy.

It's why he doesn't bring Rose to this part of the universe. The only reason they're here is because Dean wanted stardust for him and his best friend as a souvenir, and the best kind of stardust is located here in the Laxim Galaxy. It's easy to collect and in large quantities. Its also harmless once it cooled down.

The Doctor decided to go to the Allucian Market. Traders and sellers mostly inhabit the barren planet. It's neutral territory amongst the stars. No empire or leader can rule or claim it.

It's perfect.

He set a course for the Market, grabbing Dean and hefting the boy onto his hip when the TARDIS started to land. He grunted when his already bruised hip connected with the console once more. He really should have put Dean on his other hip and taken the hit with the not already bruised hip. That would have been smart, and judging by the look Dean's giving him, he's thinking the same thing.

"Don't say a word," he warned the now giggling boy.

Dean mimed zipping his lips and throwing away the key. The Doctor cracked a grin at that. So innocent. So wonderfully and beautifully innocent. He hugged Dean again before letting the boy back onto the TARDIS floor.

"Keep a hold of my hand at all times," the Doctor told him and Dean nodded his head solemnly. He hadn't planned on letting it go anyway.

Feeling his jaw drop at the sight in front of him, Dean realized he better get used to gaping like Gabriel's goldfish. Gabriel is Cas's older brother and Dean's other friend. Not best friend but a good friend. Cas is the only one allowed to be his best friend.

"Wow," Dean breathed in awe. There were aliens milling about haggling over prices and shouting their wares to potential buyers.

The Doctor walked him around the Market, pointing out various alien objects and telling him what they were, and told him whether or not someone's making a good deal. Most of the time they were getting ripped off. That means they were paying more than the object is worth, the Doctor told him when he asked what "ripped off" meant.

It was almost too much for Dean to comprehend but he wouldn't change it for the world. They walked for hours exploring the Market. They would have explored some more but Dean started to give jaw-popping yawns.

"We better go," the Doctor said, ignoring Dean's pout at having to leave.

"Fine," Dean sulked. "You're carrying me back to your ship."

"Of course."

The Doctor picked him up and started walking back towards the TARDIS, reveling at the feeling of holding a child again in his arms. He felt tears well up in his eyes when he felt Dean's arms circle around his neck. He hugged Dean tighter to his chest in response.

Dean's weight got heavier when he lost his battle with sleep and slumped against the Doctor. The Doctor merely shifted his grip to accommodate the weight and continued walking to the TARDIS.

He stopped at a toy booth. Dean would like them. He had originally planned on stopping here and letting Dean pick out something as a gift before they left but with him slumbering in his arms, the Doctor decided to pick a toy at random for the boy. He carefully examined every toy before deciding on a handful he knows Dean will love. He even chose a couple for Dean's Cas. Dean could tell the other boy all about their adventure and give him the toys as proof.

The Doctor haggled until he got a price he was happy with and accepted the bag of toys with a nod of thanks.

Dean didn't wake when the Doctor placed him back Rose's bed in the TARDIS. He won't wake or be thrown around while the TARDIS flew back to Earth, to Dean's year, to Dean's home. He made sure they returned not a minute after they left. He won't be repeating the same mistake he did with Rose. He returned her a year later than he meant. Whoops!

The Doctor double and triple checked the date and time to make sure he didn't accidentally kidnap Dean and worry his family and Dean's Cas. Dean might not forgive him for that.

Dean remained asleep when the Doctor placed him on his bed and tucked him in under his covers. He placed the bag of toys and Dean's asteroid on the boy's nightstand so it'd be the first thing Dean saw when he woke up in the morning.

The Doctor tried to make himself move back towards the TARDIS and leave but he couldn't make his feet move. They remained firmly planted by Dean's bedside.

Instead of fighting it, the Doctor remained standing sentinel over the sleeping boy. He reached down and brushed Dean's bangs back, letting his hand linger slightly on Dean's cheek. Dean looked even more innocent in his sleep and it made his heart clench painfully in his chest at the sight. He missed his wife, his kids, and his grandkids fiercely. Dean dulled that soul deep ache briefly but now it's making its presence known once more now that it knows Dean won't be around to make it go away permanently.

Rose helps. By the gods does she help but sometimes it's just not enough. He doesn't think the ache will ever completely go away.

The Doctor leaned down and placed a kiss atop Dean's head when the sun began to rise, he knew he had to go before Dean wakes up. He whispered an ancient Gallifreyan prayer over the sleeping boy, he wished nothing but good fortune upon Dean as he goes through life and that he'd find love, happiness and success.

Maybe they'd meet again. He'd love to have Rose meet Dean.

"Goodbye, Dean," the Doctor whispered softly to the slumbering boy. Now he knows why the TARDIS kept bringing him here to Kansas, she brought him here to heal a little bit of his psyche. She must have known something about Dean for her to choose him for the job.

Dean shifted in his sleep and mumbled something he couldn't catch. The Doctor smiled slightly at him before finally walking towards the TARDIS.

He hopes this isn't the last time he sees Dean again. He would love to return, he really would.

Maybe someday.

Hopefully.

* * *

 **So...what'd y'all think?**


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